1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ceramic electronic component.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes outer electrodes that cover end surfaces of a ceramic body (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-89946). Each of the outer electrodes extends from the corresponding one of the end surfaces of the ceramic body onto first and second principal surfaces and first and second side surfaces.
The outer electrodes that cover the end surfaces of the ceramic body are typically formed by applying conductive paste to the end surfaces of the ceramic body and then performing a heat treatment on the conductive paste. When the heat treatment is performed, a stress is accumulated in the outer electrodes due to the difference in coefficient of linear expansion between the ceramic body and the outer electrodes. A multilayer ceramic capacitor in which a stress is accumulated in outer electrodes may experience changes in external environment such as changes in temperature, which may cause a crack to occur in the ceramic body due to the stress accumulated in the outer electrode.